The sun was setting over Ahch-to streaking the sky with color, as Rey led Finn down to the place where Luke had found her on the cliff side earlier.
"So what do you think?" Rey asked excitedly, sitting down by the edge of the cove.
"I have to admit I've never been to a place that's so serene" Finn sighed gazing out over the ocean, as a group of porgs flew by. One swooped down to land in Rey's outstretched hand.
"So what's been going on with the Resistance while I've been gone?" Rey asked, petting the little
bird-like creature.
"Before I left we were beginning evacuating to somewhere called Batuu." said Finn amazed at the young woman sitting next to him.
"Should you even be telling me this?" Rey asked warily as the porg flew off.
"Well someone is going to have to get us there, and BB-8 isn't around for me to ask." Finn said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So that's how you knew the Resistance base was in the Ileenium system." Rey said laughing. "I wondered about that."
"You know, I've missed you." Finn said.
"As have I, my friend." Rey said quietly.
Gazing into each others eyes, they leaned closer to each other until . . . "Wait a minute,what's that?" Rey said looking over Finn's shoulder.
"What's what?" Finn asked incredulously, looking around and seeing nothing of interest.
"That glow." Rey said standing up from where she was sitting.
"What glow?" Finn asked.
"That glow, right there." Rey said grabbing Finn's arm and pointing up the wall of the cove.
"Rey, there's nothing there." Finn said, starting to get concerned.
"Argh, I'll show you, there is something up there." Rey said determinedly, striding over to the rocky wall and beginning to climb.
"Rey what are you doing?" Finn asked warily.
"What do you think?" said Rey, climbing higher on the cliff face.
"I think you're going to kill yourself if you go any higher." Finn said nervously.
Reaching into a crack Rey felt around until she found what she was looking for. "I got it, look out." Rey called jumping down from where she was at.
"Don't do that!" Finn exclaimed, jumping back. Rey's response was to roll her eyes.
"Look what I found." Rey said with a smile, holding out her hand.
"They're beautiful, what are they?" Finn asked.
"I think they're kyber crystals. Come on, we've got to go show my fa – I mean Master Skywalker." Rey said excitedly, putting the crystals in the pouch at her hip and rushing out of the cove.
Making their way back up to the temple ruins, Finn took one last look over the ocean and saw on the horizon a large group of dark shapes coming towards them.
"Hold on a minute." Finn said, grabbing Rey's arm.
"Finn what-!" Rey gasped.
"Shhh! Be quiet!" Finn said urgently, pulling out his quadnocs he scanned the darkening sky above the cove. "I've got a bad feeling about this." he said.
"Finn what is it?" Rey whispered urgently.
"Oh no, it's the First Order. They've sent drop ships and they're heading this way." Finn gasped, seeing a star destroyer high in orbit.
"What?! How did they find us?!" Rey asked.
"I think I know how." said Finn with a growl running off back towards the old temple.
"Hey, wait a minute. Finn!" Rey called after him.
"Tell me about Kiré" Mara said quietly, looking over at Luke.
"She prefers to be called Rey and she's been preoccupied lately with fear for her friend." Luke said to Mara. "She told me what happened to him. He took a lightsaber blow to his back and she had to leave before he had recovered."
"'Rey', it fits her. Did she tell you that her friend is a stormtrooper?" Mara asked coldly.
"'Was', Mara. He was a stormtrooper. Rey said he's renounced the First Order, that he wasn't going to kill for them and I for one believe her." Luke said firmly.
"So he's a deserter then." Mara said, an odd note in her voice.
"Believe it or not, I knew some stormtrooper deserters back during the war." Luke said.
"As did I." Mara said as Luke became wary, knowing Mara didn't like to talk about her past. "They were some of the best soldiers I ever met and the only ones I might have called my friends."
"Traitor!" Finn yelled, running into the temple.
"What did you just call me?" Mara whispered with a deadly look in her eye.
"You sold us out." Finn accused, pointing a finger at Mara.
"Watch what you're saying, Trooper." Mara growled, standing up.
"What's the meaning of this, Rey?" Luke asked, standing up as well.
"The First Order, they're here." Rey gasped, leaning against the doorway as she came into the living area where the others were.
"Are you sure about this, Rey?" Luke asked concerned.
"We saw their landing ships." Rey stated simply.
"Mara get them out of here." Luke said pulling out his lightsaber and heading towards the door.
"And what do you think you're going to do?" Mara asked, turning towards Luke.
"What do you think?" Luke said with a smirk and going out the door.
"He's going to get himself killed." Mara murmured. "Get to the ship and stay there." she said reaching out to the force, to the lightsaber on Rey's belt and pulling it towards her.
"I don't think so." Finn said stepping forwards. "You're not going anywhere."
Mara rolled her eyes then pulled out her blaster and shot Finn with a stun blast.
"Finn!" Rey screamed. "What did you do?" She cried kneeling next to Finn.
"He'll be fine, now get to the ship." Mara ordered then headed out the door after Skywalker.
High atop the island Luke waited for Kylo Ren the young man he once called family, knowing if the others were to get away it was likely he would not make it out of this fight alive. Slowly climbing the ancient steps Kylo Ren prepared himself for a fight he had been waiting for. Reaching the top he stepped into a valley and seeing his opponent ignited his lightsaber, as Luke did the same.
"Search the island, find the girl and bring her to me. If there's anyone else here, kill them." Kylo Ren said menacingly to his stormtroopers.
Then with a scream Kylo Ren leaps at Luke swinging his lightsaber like a madman, only for his strike to be blocked easily by Luke. Green and red clashed in the dying light. As the duel went on, it became clear Luke was only defending and halfheartedly at that. As if he couldn't bring himself to fight the young man that was his nephew.
"Think of your mother, your friends, your family." Luke begged over the sounds of their battle.
"I have no family." Kylo Ren stated coldly the mechanical voice filtering out all emotion. Striking out Kylo Ren slashed Luke on the upper right arm and the left thigh. Causing him to collapse to the ground.
"Ben please, don't do this." Luke said, lying there wounded.
"Ben is gone!" Kylo Ren yelled raising his lightsaber for the killing blow. Only for it to be blocked by Luke's old lightsaber. Kylo Ren looked up expecting to see Rey, but instead saw someone he never thought he would see again, Mara.
"Nice try, but the only one who gets to kill Skywalker is me." Mara said with a slight grin on her face.
Luke grimaced, though from pain or Mara's biting sarcasm, it was hard to tell.
Blinking awake, Finn jumped back seeing the blurry features of a woman hovering above him.
"Oh, it's just you." Finn gasped out, seeing it was Rey.
"Good to see you're awake." Rey said.
"Man, that stun blast packs a punch." Finn said wincing.
"Especially at that range." Rey said helping him up. "You okay?"
Finn nodded, then held his head like he was dizzy. "I will be, thanks." he said.
"No problem." Rey said with a smile.
"We need to get out of here before any First Order troops find us." Finn said bracing himself against the wall.
"Or Kylo Ren." Rey muttered.
"What?!" Finn exclaimed.
"He's here, on this island. I can feel when he's near." She said grimly.
"Then we really need to get out of here, like right now." Finn said, heading for the door.
"Wait a minute." Rey said grabbing a large bag and stuffing what looked to be old paper books into it.
"Rey, we don't have time." Finn said urgently.
"I can't let Kylo Ren get his hands on these jedi texts. Now let's get to the ship." Rey said, slinging the bag over her shoulder and rushing towards the entryway and out into the twilight.
"It's getting dark, I don't have a light with me and I remember those steps being risky during the day. So how are we supposed to see to get back down there if we cant see?" Finn asked, looking at the darkening sky.
"A jedi does not need their eyes to see." Rey quoted.
"Yeah, but I'm not a jedi. So-" Finn said, cutting off suddenly when Rey pulled a glowrod out of her bag and pointed it at him smirking. "Give me that." Finn said grabbing the light with a scowl that then dissolved into laughter for the both of them.
Making their way towards the stairs they saw an injured Luke limping towards them, coming down from the valley where Mara now fought Kylo Ren.
"Father!" Rey cried out.
"Wait. . . what?" Finn stammered.
"Finn get over here and help me." Rey called, supporting Luke. As Finn came over and put Luke's arm around his shoulder.
"Don't worry Master Skywalker, we're here to help." Finn said as they made their way slowly down the stairs.
"I can see why Rey thinks so highly of you." said Luke with a smile as Rey blushed, thought it was hard to tell in the low light. They were almost to the Skywatcher without incident, when ahead of Luke, Rey and Finn, a platoon of stormtroopers appeared at the bottom of the flight of stairs. "There they are, blast them!" They shouted, raising the blasters and firing at the trio as they ducked behind an outcropping of rock.
"Can I borrow that?" Rey asked, reaching and grabbing Luke's lightsaber then stepping out from behind cover and activating the lightsaber.
"It's the girl!"
Rey deflected the blaster bolts fired at them back at the stormtroopers in whirling arcs of light.
"Come on." Rey said, coming back over to them.
"How did you do that?" Finn asked dumbfounded.
"It runs in the family." Luke said wryly.
"I said come on." Rey said urgently."We need to get to the ship before any more stormtroopers find
us."
Lightsabers locked together, the two adversaries faced each other down.
"You're outmatched Emperor's Hand." Kylo Ren said.
"In my book, experience outweighs everything." Mara scoffed, pulling away.
Swinging his lightsaber menacingly Kylo Ren lunges towards Mara, only for her to pull out her blaster and to run towards him shooting, causing him to have to switch from attack to defense mode. So when
Mara activates her lightsaber he is totally unprepared for it. As Kylo Ren jumps back from the blade slicing towards him, it nicks his shoulder. "You shouldn't have done that." Kylo Ren says, grimacing in pain and launching himself at her.
Finally they made it to the ship.
"Finn, get him settled and then get to the gunner turret." Rey ordered. "We're going to have to blast our way out of here."
"You know, you're sounding more and more like Solo." Finn called back.
"Thanks." Rey said smiling, as she ran to the cockpit.
Helping Luke to one of the bunk rooms Finn pulled out a bacta patch and began to bandage Luke's arm.
"Finn, I need you in the gunner turret now!" Rey said over the comm.
"Go, I'll be fine." Luke said.
Running out of the room Finn turned into the gunner's station.
Sitting down the the gunner's chair Finn exclaimed. "Wait a minute! What are you doing?". Seeing that instead of heading to deep space Rey was turning the ship back towards the island.
"We're going back." Rey said stubbornly .
"Why?" demanded Finn. "Skywalker I understand, but Mara? She's an imperial agent."
"No, she's my mother." Rey said.
"What! You can't be serious. We need to get out of here while we still can." Finn said incredulously.
"I'm the one flying this thing, we're going back for her." Rey said in a tone that brooked no argument. "I only hope we make it in time." she murmured to herself. Putting the ship into a sharp dive to avoid the incoming blaster fire.
Left, right, left, the blows came fast and deadly.
"You need practice, boy. But I guess you can't have too many sparring partners since you've killed almost everyone off." Mara said sarcastically.
"Stop!" He screamed, spinning and slashing his blade towards her.
"I see you haven't changed much." Mara said riposting and blocking the flaming blade. "You always were one for the dramatic flair."
"And you are just as sarcastic as I remember." Kylo growled, disengaging their blades. "You served the old empire with great distinction Emperor's Hand. You could do so again." Kylo Ren said, breathing hard.
"I've had my fill of imperial service, boy." Mara said backing up through the natural archway towards the edge of the cliff with the ocean spray crashing behind her and the stars of the galaxy above her.
"Stop calling me that! I am just as powerful as Vader was." Kylo Ren shouted.
"You forget, I knew Vader, and all I see is a boy playing pretend." Mara said quietly.
"So,you refuse my offer?" Kylo Ren asked menacingly, pointing his lightsaber towards her.
"Not much of an offer, if you ask me." Mara scoffed, keeping her guard up.
"I knew it. I used to think of you as a mother, someone who understood me and would always be there for me, but you're just like all the rest of them." and with a scream of anguish Kylo Ren lunged towards Mara. She blocked his thrust, but the force of his blow knocked her off her precarious perch on the edge of the cliff.
As Kylo Ren rushed forwards and reached the edge, he looked down at the sea below, hoping to see Mara falling to her death. The Skywatcher flew up, the force of the wind knocking him back into the reflecting pool . As he looked up he saw Mara standing on the ramp and let out a scream of anguish and desperation, as they flew away from his grasp. Looking down he sees his likeness transform into an image of Han Solo. Plunging his fists into the mosaic he cracks the tiles as the cavern around him quakes with his rage when he feels a disturbance in the Force. "I have you now." Kylo Ren said to himself then reaching for his comlink. "Prepare my ship, I will be leaving for Sullust immediately."